Last week Sean and I were meeting my aunt for dinner in San Francisco. We decided to make more out of the trip to the city by visiting the de Young viewing tower. It's free and offers 360 degree views of the city (on clear days). Plus, it was a beautiful day and you have to take advantage of the weather when you can!

This year was great. About half way through the week in Black Rock City, I stated this would be my last Burning Man. But as I look back on the week, I only have positive thoughts and know I need to go back at least one more year. The only real kicker for me is the heat during the day, but we succeeded quite well in being gifted with cold beverages and even popsicles!

Through our morning coffee delivery of cold-brew, we met some awesome folks and a few that live in Oakland and were familiar with my work place. In a community of 60,000+ it is still a small world.

These past two years I have brought disposable cameras and my simple point and shoot camera. I definitely prefer the disposable over the digital. The first two pictures are from one disposable camera. The feel of the photos, what gets captured on film and knowing I can't see the pictures until development makes it much more exciting and enjoyable for me. My favorite photos are the ones from the disposable cameras. Film is awesome!

October, 2011
I had been dying to go camping, let alone backpacking. Living in Bellingham, WA during college and a few years after really defined my love for the outdoors. Once I became settled in San Francisco, I was getting antsy to leave the city and go explore. The great thing about Northern California is that we're surrounded by mountains, hiking trails and nature that are not only in our backyards, but also a short drive away. It was time to escape the city.

Sean hadn't been backpacking before so this was a great opportunity for an introduction trip, as the hikes aren't too strenuous. Point Reyes National Seashore has 5 walk-in only campsites and we chose the Wildcat Camp site, following the Coast Trail from the Palomarin Trailhead. The hike followed the coast for a few miles, then cut into the forest, to emerge back along the water, leading us to the campsites on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Not too shabby of a hike for the rookie Sean. He wasn't even too fond of hiking when I met him, but now he can't get enough. Bonus points in my book!

I had just received my new tent in the mail so I was amped to try it out. It worked prefectly and was nice and cozy. The day we arrived, we walked to the Alamere Falls along the beach where we saw two seals up close and took some goofy pictures by the Falls (re: my About page). For dinner we enjoyed cous cous with Chicken of the Sea. We also kept it classy with a few vodka sodas for rehydration.

It was so peaceful by the ocean and feeling so far from the city, but really only being an hour away. As much as I love the city, I need my weekends of escapes and reconnecting with nature.

I finally was able to visit my Aunt and Cousins in Oahu. My family had been before, but I was never able to join because of school or work. I went for a week in April and it was beautiful. My aunt lives in the town Kailua, which is on the opposite side of the island from Honolulu. They are on the windward side, so the mornings were usually drizzly and grey and then the sun would break through and shine throughout the day.
This trip was originally going to be a “rent a VW Vanagan and tour the Big Island” trip, but the friends who would have been joining had scheduling issues and couldn’t join. So I figured, why not visit my aunt?!

Instead of a Vanagan, we rented a car and spent the week exploring the island. Places we visited included Honolulu and Waikiki Beach, Turtle Bay Resort, Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. We also hiked Diamond Head, saw amazing views from the Lanikai Pillboxes, and drove from Kailua to Kaena Point and along the North Shore.

The second day we were in Hawaii we decided to explore Honolulu and see Waikiki beach. Before going into the city, we hiked Diamond Head. This was an easy hike with great views. Having never visited Oahu, it was impressive to see all the buildings and hotels that make up Honolulu with the turquoise water and beach sharing a shoreline. It also offered panoramic views of parts of the Island and coast. Beautiful!

Another day we decided to drive part of the Island and see the infamous North Shore. Our first destination was Kaena Point, which is the westernmost tip of land of Oahu. We didn’t end up hiking to the end, but we drove out as far as the road would go. The beaches there were rockier, but just as beautiful. We also saw many people kite boarding because the water is pretty shallow and conducive for successful boarding.

After seeing the kite boarders, we continued along to the North Shore. Construction was happening so there was a lot of traffic, which put a slight damper on the drive. There was no driving up and down the coast to find theperfect part of beach. We didn’t see any surfers, which the North Shore is famous for, but we were able to enjoy yet another beautiful beach. Once we soaked in the sun, we continued along the coast and headed home. Phew, what a day!

Renting a car was definitely the way to go. We were able to explore the whole island on one tank of gas, score!

I enjoyed the Northeast side of the Island a lot more, as it’s more remote and not as touristy. The scenery is beautiful, the water is turquoise and clear for as far as you can see and the beaches are not crowded (visit the Lanikai Pillboxes to see all these).